The Alabama Bus Lyrics

Lord, there come a bus, don’t have no load
You know, they tell me that a human being stepped on board
You know they tell me that the man sat on the bus
You know, they tell me that the driver began to fuss
He said: “look here, man, you’re from the Negro race,”
And don’t you know you’re sitting in the wrong place?”
The driver told the man: “I know you paid your dime
But if you don’t move you gonna have to pay a fine.”
The man told the driver: “My feets are hurtin'”
The driver told the man to move behind the curtain”

I wanna tell you ‘bout the Reverend Martin Luther King
You know, they tell me that the people began to sing
You know, the man God sent out in the world
You know, they tell me that the man had the mighty nerve
You know, the poor man didn't have a bus to rent
You know, they tall me, great God, he had the mighty strength
And he reminded me of Moses in Israel land
He said: "A man ain't nothing but a man.“
He said: "Look here, Alabama. don't you see?”
He says: “All of my people gonna follow me.”
You know, they tell me Reverend King was very hurt
He says: “All of my people gonna walk to work”

They said: “Look here, boy, you hadn't took a thought
‘Cause don ‘r you know you brake the anti-boycott law?”
They tell me Reverend King said: “Treat us right,"
You know, in the Second World War my father lost his sight
You know, they tell me Abraham signed the pledge one night
He said that all of these men should have their equal rights
You know, they had the trial and Clayton Powell was there
You know, they tell me Clayton Powell asked the world for prayer
You know, Diggs went down there to go his bail
You know, they put Reverend King in an Alabama jail

You know, they tell me Reverend King was a Bible inspired
When all the buses was passin’, nobody would ride
You know, they tell me that the Negroes was ready to go
They had-a-walked along the streets. until their feet were sore
You know, they tell me Reverend King had spreaded the word
At an Alabama bus stop, so l heard
You know, they sent a lot of money, saying: “King go on,"
You know, in nineteen and twenty-nine that man was born
You know, the five hundred dollar ﬁne was very heavy
You know, the poor man was born the fifteenth of January